The present invention relates to patient supports. More particularly, the present invention relates to a handle on a hospital bed to assist bed ingress and egress.
It is known to provide a handle or an assist arm on a patient support such as a hospital bed, stretcher, table or other support. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,060,327 and 6,240,583 which are incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/361,960, filed Mar. 5, 2002, is also expressly incorporated by reference herein.
In an illustrated embodiment, an assist arm is provided for use with a patient support structure having a frame. The assist arm comprises a post attached to the frame and a handle coupled to the post for rotational movement about the post between an upright position and a retracted position. The post includes a first bore having a first depth and a second bore having a second depth that is greater than the first depth. The handle includes a locking mechanism which cooperates with the first and second bores to retain the handle in the retracted position and to lock the handle in the upright position, respectively. The locking mechanism automatically releases the handle from the retracted position when a force is applied on the handle to move the handle toward the upright position.
In another illustrated embodiment, an assist arm is provided for use with a patient support structure having a frame. The assist arm comprises a bracket having a pair of substantially parallel sides connected together by a web, the sides being configured to attach to opposed faces of the frame, a post attached to the bracket, and a handle coupled to the post for rotational movement about the post between an upright position and a retracted position.
In yet another illustrated embodiment, assist arm is provided for use with a patient support structure having a frame defining a footprint. The assist arm comprises a support element having a free end, a hand grip mounted on said free end, and means for removably mounting the support element on a frame of the patient support structure for movement between a vertical operational position and a horizontal stored position below the frame and within the footprint of the frame.
Additional features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the associated drawings.